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Sunday, July 28, 2013

Strange moments in the sentimental zone

I just had the strangest thing happen to me, well, I think it was strange. The timing was too perfect, so I think it was a God-sent test.

I grew up in a rural home in northeast Connecticut and I have always had this dream of buying back that house someday if it ever became available. Today I found out that the house is on the market for a great price. It caused a wild rage of emotion. I deeply wanted to make it happen: buy the house so that my wife and I could raise our kids in the same surroundings I so loved in my growing up years. But as many of you know, God has led my wife and I to set out Full-Timing in an RV motorhome. It seems like the timing of this was perfectly tuned to test my resolve as to what I would put first: the spiritual benefits to the lifestyle we've chosen, or settling down in a comfortable house. It was a battle for me to stick to my conviction that materialism can stand between my family and God.

But my wonderful wife (even though she was as tempted as I was by the promise of stability) reminded me of the reasons we are going to RV. I am so thankful to God for her.

Come 2015 we will be hitting the road on non-stop book tour and neither of us can wait. We have been hunting for the right RV and researching like crazy. Here is our favorite so far: 2008 Damon Astoria Bunkhouse Pacific Edition

Thursday, July 25, 2013

"Neverqueen" A new series ready to begin!

That satisfied feeling I have right now is because Neverqueen the first book in the new series is finished today!


Also, the cover underwent a minor change that has made it 'pop' better. The heroine's eyes needed to be glowing. All part of the story. And a key part of the story!

Story pitch line is next and a summary to tease all the Fantasy lovers out there.

Coming November 2013!

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Getting rid of it!

Clutter. We have so much of it in our lives, don't we?

In preparation for creating a mobile family lifestyle, my wife and I are de-cluttering. Really we do not have a lot of stuff, but even so it is amazing how many things we do have! (-: Does that sound conflicted?

God is glorified more the less value we place on material things. This is one reason we are excited to live out of an RV beginning in 2015 and travel the country again selling books while I speak wherever the opportunity is presented. In preparation for that we are starting to get rid of things we do not need. I sold a couple of PC games for $10 and that modest amount is the start of our "RV Fund." I also have a violin to sell and a loveseat. We are going to digitize my very large movie collection, so I will sell the DVDs, too. I am even going to make a valiant attempt to get rid of a large number of my books, but we'll see how that goes.

I am excited about this. I place a lot more value in my possessions than I like to admit. Some of these things are gods in my life, and God will only bless as we seek to follow His will in our lives. We want to turn away from the material to better focus on connecting to God and the world around us.

BTW, we watched the movie "RV" last night (Robin Williams). Yep, that was a funny movie!

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

The G-word

Our culture thinks it is becoming so good. After all, it will no longer tolerate racial slurs. Yep, I am thinking of Paula Deen. A lawsuit because she used the n-word. That is good, right? It means that people are becoming more ethical. The US is becoming a tolerant culture that does not discriminate.

Let me point out one sad fact: I have never heard of a lawsuit over someone using the name of God in vain, and I have never heard of one in association with the blaspheming of the holy name of Jesus Christ.

The other day at work I was utterly horrified to hear an employee combine a crude word with the name of Jesus Christ. It sank so ugly deep into my gut that I immediately confronted the individual. But the sad thing is, I don't think they fully realized what they had done even after they apologized to me for using those words.

Our culture has backslidden so far that even many professing Christians think nothing of using OMG in their vocabulary.

We need to stand up for the name of God and the name of Jesus Christ for what they are: Holy and Sacred. Do not desecrate the very name that has given you hope of salvation! Do not stand by and let those around you think that it is ok to use those names in derogatory, offensive, or crude manners. Stand up to the fallen world around you! Let them see the light of Christ with patience and authority.

"... the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain."

WELCOME TO THE WRITING SITE OF SCOTT APPLETON

"Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones." -Proverbs 16:24

In a world where morality is forsaken and Christ neglected, wholesome books are uncommon. The themes of my writing are love, self-sacrifice, and honor.

I see my generation turning from God to the gods of this world. I see homes torn apart in the pursuit of pleasure and self-gratification. Children are murdered by the millions every year . . . without ever seeing the world outside their mothers' wombs. Through fiction I strive to encourage those who are willing, to stand against these things and be heroes and heroines; chivalrous, gentle, full of righteous indignation, and the fear and love of their Creator.